Nico never thought he could be more shocked than he was when Will Solace admitted he was gay.

He was wrong.

Well, maybe not entirely, since Will's confession had him internally squealing like a jubilant child who won a free lollipop. Not that he would ever tell him that.

He already knew the day would be anything but ordinary. Now that he and Will were official and he fully completed his recovery process (a.k.a. the do-anything-mildly-dangerous-and-Will-won't-kiss-you-for-a-week torture), his father Hades had requested a formal dinner tonight with the two of them, along with Hazel and Frank (which probably meant the here's-a-great-feast-but-if-Will-so-much-as-gives-you-a-paper-cut-he-will-suffer-the-worst-death-possible speech).

Hence the reason Nico was attempting to reassure Will's safety as they ambled down the forest path, away from the Camp Half-Blood cabins and towards an area suitable for shadow travel. Normally, the son of Hades could transport himself and others just by grasping thin air. Will, however, was apparently too sunny of a guy for Nico to relocate through the dark.

Much to Nico's dismay, it seemed like Hades was deliberately avoiding to offer them a ride to the Underworld, probably to test Will's dedication to a relationship with a pale-faced, ghostly, and sometimes violent teenager.

The god of the Underworld's plan was working for sure. Will was sweating nervously in his white, button-down shirt, even though the sun was beginning to set. Still, the son of Apollo managed to look good, his normally messy blond hair combed down, his blue eyes brighter than the sky, and his facial complexion radiant with a golden aura.

"Just tell me you're stressed out already," Nico cracked a smile.

"What do you mean?" Will asked innocently. "I'm positive your dad is a... uh, wonderful man!"

"Your hands are shaking," Nico pointed out. "The real question is though: are you scared of Hades or the idea of shadow traveling?"

Will sighed loudly and stopped walking. "Both."

Nico slowed to a halt, too. "We don't have to go, you know. I can just send an Iris-message to my dad and s-"

"No, no, that'll only make him hate me more."

"Oh, please," Nico retorted. "My dad definitely does not hate you. You are the kindest, most likable friend I know."

"Aw, Nico, you're actually being nice for once," Will laughed, which made Nico lightly punch him in the arm.

Will laughed even harder then. "Come on, let's hurry up Death Boy. Wouldn't want your dad to throw me into the Fields of Asphodel for being late."

Nico rolled his eyes, but grinned and complied.

The two achieved only two steps before they heard a uproarious "WATCH OUT!"

Both of them immediately swiveled themselves 180 degrees, scanning the forest. No one appeared.

"Look!" Will exclaimed, his finger pointing at an object in the sky. The object was rapidly growing larger. Another shout was heard, but the words were incomprehensible. It sounded like it was being drowned out by screeching metal.

Or a certain mechanical dragon Nico thought, his realization hitting him like a wall. He glanced at Will, who was giving him the exact same look- a look of hope.

Will wondered aloud. "Could it be-"

"WATCH OUT WE'RE CRASH-LANDING!!!" screamed an unrecognizable female voice.

A true statement indeed. The soaring, fire-breathing, metal dragon finally became visible, barreling towards Will, Nico, and a cluster of forest trees. The two demigods sprinted away as far as they could. Within moments they heard a deafening boom right behind them, the force knocking them face-flat in the soil. Silence followed.

Nico instinctively grabbed Will's hand, who squeezed back. They quickly scrambled to their feet, dashing to the broken dragon next to them. The two parted ways, anxiously searching the heap of metal.

"LEO?!" Nico yelled. "ARE YOU THERE?"

"Over here," grunted a familiar voice, coming from under the left wing of Festus.

Will and Nico darted to the area where the sound came from, and together they lifted the massive wing, draping it over Festus's body.

It was Leo Valdez. The Leo Valdez. Although his shirt was torn to shreds, his cargo pants half-seared off, his hair singed from the fire, and his face smeared with oil and burnt grease, he was alright and well; he was alive.

Leo was about to say something, but suddenly turned over, coughing fitfully. Meanwhile, Will and Nico stood there, stunned.

A girl soon arrived, kneeling down and grabbing for Leo's hand. She was wearing a scorched white dress with her braid unraveled and specks of dirt in her hair.

"Are you alright?" the girl asked frantically, her voice identical to the warning Nico heard a few minutes ago. Leo groaned loudly, letting himself be pulled up by the girl. He was grinning wildly though, as he faced Will and Nico.

Nico thought Will would have bombarded Leo with questions by now, but he couldn't blame him for not doing so. They both were astonished.

Leo finally cleared his throat to speak. "Uh, so first off I owe you guys and everyone else some huge apologies. I'm really really sorry for almost killing you two just now." He spoke in a rush, his words flowing out of his mouth like a waterfall.

"Festus malfunctioned big time and I tried to guide him towards a more clear area so a forest fire wouldn't start. But that kinda failed and luckily Calypso here..." Leo gestured towards the girl. "She found a way to stop my buddy Festus from breathing fire just as we landed."

"I really tried contacting you guys countless times, but there were so many complications. Like that Taco Bell place in Mumbai with no wifi and the fact that I didn't have the camp's number or drachmas to IM and the- you know I should probably explain that later when the others demand me too. Then I decided to just get back here as soon as possible. But that was tough too, especially navigating our way from Ogygia. Okay, ugh I know this sounds like a load of baloney-filled excuses so you have the right to be mad and to-"

Nico didn't know he had it in him, but he tackled Leo with a bear hug. Will instantly joined in. The hug lasted decades, until Calypso awkwardly coughed, ending their embrace.

"We should head to the cabins now," she said. Her eyes twinkled. "Piper's totally going to kill you, Leo."

Leo smiled nervously. "It sure is great to be home."